Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

October 4, 2008

PETER AND JOHN, AND THE CROSS OF CALVARY
by Russell S. Miller

Do you recall that during our Lord's earthly ministry, and the announcements of His approaching crucifixion (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33,34), that His disciples did not comprehend a thing He had said to them about His impending death (Mark 8:32; 9:32; 10:35)?

"And they understood NONE of these things: and this saying was HID from them, NEITHER KNEW THEY THE THINGS WHICH WERE SPOKEN" (Luke 18:34).

However, in Galatians 2:7-9, "when James, Cephas [Peter], and John, perceived the grace that was given unto [Paul], they gave to [Paul] and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship...." It was here at this Jerusalem Council that Peter forsook his baptistery (Heb.6:1,2) for the truth of "THE SPRINKLING OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST" as the only means of salvation from sin today (I Peter 1:2,18,19).

But this is not all, for John also rejoiced in the same "propitiation" (I John 1:7) that had first been revealed to Paul (Romans 3:25-26). Of course the Apostle John was later inspired of God, in John 3, to write about Moses "in the wilderness" and how it typified the cross of Calvary. This explains how John 3:14-16 is so greatly used of God today. Hear the very words of the Lord Jesus in this particular passage:

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:14-16).

How wonderful that both Peter and John both came to see the true meaning of Calvary's cross through Paul's distinctive ministry. Thus, it is Paul alone, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, who first sets forth God's plan of salvation "without works" today:

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

"To declare, I say, AT THIS TIME His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:24-26).

________________________________________________
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October 5, 2008

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE
by Cornelius R. Stam

With the knowledge of good and evil man came into the possession of conscience. A sense of blameworthiness smote him when he committed, or even contemplated committing, evil. This has been so ever since. The Bible tells us that even the most ungodly and benighted heathen "show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another" (Rom. 2:15).

It is true that man's conscience can be violated so often that it becomes calloused or, as St. Paul puts it: "seared with a hot iron" (I Tim. 4:2), but events or incidents can take place which suddenly awaken the conscience and make it sensitive again. Many a person has indulged in "the pleasures of sin" more and more freely until, suddenly, his sin has found him out and his conscience has caught up with him to condemn him day and night and make life itself unbearable.

The Bible teaches that all men outside of Christ are, to some degree, troubled by guilty consciences and certainly most are "through fear of death... all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:15). But it also teaches that "Christ died for our sins" so that, our penalty having been paid, we might be delivered from a guilty conscience.

The works and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law could never accomplish this, but sincere and intelligent believers in Christ, having been "once purged," have "no more conscience of sins" (Heb. 9:14; 10:1,2). They are, to be sure, conscious of their sins, but they are no longer tortured by a forever-condemning conscience, for they know that the penalty for all their sins, from the cradle to the coffin, was fully met by Christ at Calvary.

This is not to imply that even a sincere believer may not be troubled about offending the One who paid for his sins, but he knows that the judgment for these sins is past. Thus he earnestly seeks, like Paul, "to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man" (Acts 24:16).

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October 6, 2008

THE LOVE OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom.5:12).

If a man is dying, and you have the means to help him, would you let him die? Such was the case when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of “the tree of [the] knowledge of good and evil” (Gen.2:9). They fell into sin themselves, and plunged the whole human race into sin. But the Love of God had no bounds when “Christ Died For Our Sins” on that cross. As the wrath of God upon sin was poured out upon Christ at Calvary, so His love toward us is also unfathomable:

“BUT GOD, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, FOR HIS GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US,

“EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN SINS, HATH QUICKENED US TOGETHER WITH CHRIST, (by grace ye are saved:)” (Eph.2:4,5).

“GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US” (Rom.5:8 ).

Shouldn’t we, then, in love, be showing people from the Bible the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord? It is not their “good works” that will save them from their sins, from hell, and from the Lake of Fire,but “faith” alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a matter of whether or not we believe what God has said in His Word about Jesus Christ. It is what Christ did on the cross that God accepts (Rom.3:25), and as we accept Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf (Eph.2:8,9), God “accepts” us (Eph.1:6). Do you believe the truth of the Word of God or do you still believe the devil’s lie? God loves us, each and every one of us, with an everlasting love, an eternal love. God places a very high value upon all mankind. And because we are of “eternal worth” to Him, He is not willing that any should perish. He sent His “only begotten Son” into this world to pay the full penalty of our sins, Himself, at the extreme cost of His own life’s blood. How MUCH He loves us:

“HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON, BUT DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL, HOW SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?” (Rom.8:32).

Because of Calvary, therefore, and by faith in Jesus Christ, we may now walk in the light of His Word:

“But after that THE KINDNESS AND LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOUR toward man appeared,

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:4,5).

As Christians, then, and representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, “…as workers together with Him, [we] beseech you also that ye receive NOT the GRACE of God in vain.

“…Behold, now is the accepted time; Behold, now is the day of salvation” (IICor.6:1-2).

Do people ever consider how long “eternity” will last, or where they’re going to spend eternity? Have you ever considered what the consequences of your sin will mean—to you personally—at the “great white throne” judgment of God? Have you ever given any thought as to what “fire and brimstone” really is? Or what your destiny in “the Lake of Fire” will really mean to you for all eternity?

Paul’s words to the jailor at Philippi express the Love of God in His wonderful plan of salvation through our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ:

“BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

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October 7, 2008

RESURRECTION POWER
by Cornelius R. Stam

How comes this flower to bloom so fair,
With loveliest fragrance to fill the air?
A short time ago the seed lay dead,
The cold, wintry ground its desolate bed.

But now, behold, from the dampened earth,
Without a sound to betray its birth,
This thing of beauty has blossomed and grown
To possess a loveliness all its own.

And as we view it, standing there
With a majesty quite beyond compare,
A mighty conviction grips the heart:
This beautiful flow'r has a counterpart.

Our Savior once suffered and died for sin.
Though no one so righteous as He had been.
It seemed that the devil had sealed His doom
As they buried His body in Joseph's tomb.

But what is this wonder that greets our eyes
As the rays of the third morning's sun arise?
Behold, He is risen! The grave could not hold
The Author of Life; the Anointed of God!

And now the dead who have trusted in His name,
Though sleeping in Jesus, will rise again
With bodies more glorious than this flower
--Sown in weakness, but raised in power!

C.R.S.

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October 8, 2008

THE GOSPEL OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller

This phrase, “the gospel of God”, found seven times in the New Testament, is mainly used by the Apostle Paul (Rom.1:1; 15:16; IICor.11:7; IThes.2:2,8,9), though it is also found in I Peter 4:17. But the Apostle Paul says that the gospel of God was “promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” So the question, What is this gospel of God?, is worthy of our inquiry and finds its answer in the fact that God has always had “good news” for Adam and his sinful, sorry, helpless sons and daughters in whatever “the prophets and Moses did say should come.” And this is now revealed in the Pauline revelation:

“That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22,23).

This is why Paul tells us in Galatians 1:16 that God’s Son is revealed IN him, NOT in the prophets, and this is confirmed in I Peter 1:12. Paul’s “gospel” is therefore “the revelation of Jesus Christ” in all that God had “promised” and in all that God “kept secret” regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is, of course, blessedly true where the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned that all the types and shadows of the Mosaic sacrificial system (Heb.10:1-4) mysteriously pointed forward to Christ and Calvary’s cross. Thus we can see the importance of I Corinthians 15:3,4:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.”

Here Paul incorporates that which God had “promised afore” with that which he had “received” and “delivered” to the Corinthians, and to us. And this he calls “the gospel which I preached unto you” (ICor.1:1-3). Isn’t this the very key that unlocks our understanding here? It was not CONTRARY to the Scriptures that “Christ died for our sins,” but rather it is in ACCORDANCE with the Scriptures.

“IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE” (Eph.1:7).

Now it becomes clear that the saints of old were not saved on the basis of the Mosaic Law. Rather their atonement awaited the merits of Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice on Calvary’s cross as revealed though Paul:

“NEITHER BY THE BLOOD OF GOATS AND CALVES, BUT BY HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US” (Heb.9:12).

“BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD” (Heb.10:12).

It is faith “in the blood of Christ” that saves us today. No longer does the Mosaic Law, or water baptism, nor Peter’s call to repentance in Acts 2:38, have any merit, but faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ:

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
“Even the righteousness of God which is BY [FAITHFULNESS] OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Rom.3;21,22).

And who, but the Apostle Paul, could write more appropriately “concerning God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord” and the “Good News” that awaits believers!

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom.3:24-26).

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October 9, 2008

THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION
by Russell S. Miller

“For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain ONE new man, so making peace;

“And that He might reconcile both unto God in ONE BODY by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

“And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

“For through Him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph.2:14-18).

On that Day that Christ Died, we know that “the veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom...” (Matt.27:51), but the meaning of this terrific event is hidden from the understanding of Jew and Gentile until we come to the Epistles of St. Paul. In the book of Exodus, God “put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (Ex.11:7). In giving the Law of Moses, He “put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Lev.10:10; 11:47; 20:25). And in the Prophets, God condemned the priests for “violating” His law and “profaning” His “holy” things: “...they have put no difference between the holy and profane...between the unclean and the clean...and I am profaned among them” (Ezek.22:26).

But in Paul’s Gospel, the Apostle declares that “there is no difference” today, between Jews and Gentiles: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:22,23). Israel was “nigh” but through their unbelief the Jews had become as “far off” as the Gentiles. And Paul further points out that God is now dealing with all mankind today—by His grace:

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12,13).

This should not too difficult for us to understand. It simply shows that there is now no longer a difference between Jews and Gentiles today. And this, brethren, this occurs before Acts 28; before Acts 18:6; before Acts 13, but after Acts 2. It shows that with Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, and the commencement of the dispensation of the GRACE of God, that “the middle wall of partition” was broken down. It shows that the gospel of the grace of God is to all peoples and nations without distinction today (Acts 9:15).

God has put an end to all the bigotry, prejudice, and biased opinions of religious men and women! The Lord Jesus has “abolished the enmity” through “the blood of His cross” making, “in Himself, of [the] twain ONE new man, so making peace” (Eph.2:15). Thus Paul’s exhortation:

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph.4:31,32).

Clearly, then, this wonderful “access” to God that all peoples have today is first revealed to the Apostle Paul by our Lord Jesus Christ in Romans, Ephesians, and Hebrews:

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19,20).

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October 10, 2008

"THE WORD OF HIS POWER"
by Russell S. Miller

God is so powerful that by simply speaking, He created "Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Ex.20:11). Yes, the Universe was brought immediately into being: "by the Word of His power" (Heb.1:3; IIPet.3:5)! And neither was His power confined to the animal creation, for He "breathed into the nostrils" of Adam, "the breath of life, and man became a living soul" (Gen.2:7). He is so powerful that He can "inspire" mere men to write exactly what He wants them to write, in a Book that we call the Bible (IITim.3:16). So powerful that to enter the stream of humanity and become a man, He was "born of a virgin" (Matt.1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35), which, with men is a total impossibility. And again, to show His mighty power, after "He [had] by the grace of God, tasted death for every man" (Heb.2:9) HE AROSE FROM THE DEAD (Rom.4:25).

God is so powerful that when we believe on Christ, He makes us one with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection; saves us for time and eternity, and nothing can separate us from His love. This is why the Apostle Paul defends the doctrine of eternal security in his Epistle to the Romans:

"FOR I AM PERSUADED, THAT NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE, NOR ANGELS, NOR PRINCIPALITIES, NOR POWERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT, NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR HEIGHT, NOR DEPTH, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD" (Rom.8:38,39).

Some people don't believe in the Bible and all it says about Creation, the Inspiration of the Scriptures, the Virgin Birth of Christ, His resurrection from the dead, and the Lord's Return to catch us away to be with Him for all eternity, but those who do, can say with the Apostle Paul:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

By the "word" of His power He shall catch us away to be with Him eternally.

"LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE, AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST" (Tit.2:13; IThes.4:13-18).

"In whom WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

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October 11, 2008

THE HIGHEST EXPRESSION OF FAITH
by Cornelius R. Stam

In Rom. 8:26 we read what our hearts must often confess to be true:

"...We know not what we should pray for as we ought..."

But the Apostle hastens to explain that the Spirit makes intercession for us according to the will of God, adding:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom.8:28).

Believers may not receive whatever they ask for in the darkness of this age, but

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (II Cor. 9:8).

We may not receive whatever we ask for, but by His grace we may have so much more than this, that the Apostle, in contemplating it, breaks forth in a doxology:

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

"Unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Eph. 3:20,21).

In the light of all this the highest expression of faith today is found in the words of Paul in Phil. 4:6,7:

"Be careful [anxious] for nothing -- but in everything -- by prayer and supplication -- with thanksgiving -- let your requests be made known unto God -- and..."

"And" what?

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive"?

NO!!

"...and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [garrison] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

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October 12, 2008

CHILDREN AND GROWN-UPS
by Cornelius R. Stam

The Lord Jesus said to a religious leader of His day: "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). All true Christians have been born again by the Spirit of God (Tit. 3:5). They are therefore the children of God (Rom. 8:16).

Children are a joy in any normal household, but it is a tragedy when a child remains a child, physically, mentally or both. It is a tragedy too, that so many Christians, truly born again, remain spiritual babes -- they do not grow. They know that Christ died for their sins but have made no progress in grace or in the knowledge of the Word. To such Paul wrote:

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual [men], but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear [digest] it, neither yet now are ye able" (I Cor. 3:1,2).

Thus those who, spiritually undeveloped, were able to digest only the milk, or the simple things, of the Scriptures, were called "carnal" and "babes," in contrast to those "spiritual" believers who had grown in grace and were able to assimilate the deeper, richer truths of the Word of God.

This is not a compliment to those who constantly boast that they are satisfied with "the simple things," and fail to study God's Word, as II Tim. 2:15 commands. To such Paul writes, by divine inspiration:

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again... and are become such as have need of milk... For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat [solid food] belongeth to them that are of full age..." (Heb. 5:12-14).

A new-born babe in Christ is a joy to behold, but every born-again Christian should grow through the study of the Word. I Pet. 2:2 says:

"As newborn babes desire the sincere [pure] milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby."

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October 13, 2008

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA—THE TOMB
by Russell S. Miller

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt.27:46).

There was “darkness over all the land,” and such darkness as no Egyptian night had ever known, when God the Father turned His back upon God the Son because He could not look upon sin (Hab.1:13). And because sin must be judged, the Lord Jesus took upon Himself our judgment—the wrath of God that would have sunk a world to hell—and the judgment of our sins was poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ. “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst” (Luke 23:45) and “the earth did quake” (Matt.27:51) and mountains crumbled.

Our Lord was not even given a fair trial. They brought false witnesses to bear false testimony upon false charges that cruel and wicked men had laid against Him falsely.

“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth” (Isa.53:8,9).

Joseph of Arimathaea begged Pilate for the body of Jesus that he might “lay it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (Matt.27:57-61).

It was at this same place, in Joseph’s tomb, that “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” came to anoint His body.

“And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

“And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen; remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee” (Luke 24:4-6).

That the “grave” could not hold Him is manifest proof that He possessed “the Spirit of holiness” (Rom.1:4; Heb.7:26). Indeed, the angel rolled the stone away that the disciples, and the women, might see the empty tomb. The Lord came forth and came through that solid stone sepulchre much as He had done, in John 20:19, “where the disciples [had] assembled for fear of the Jews.”

However, there is another very important reason for Christ’s burial that should not be overlooked. Only in Paul’s epistles do we learn that our old Adamic nature has also been buried with Christ in Joseph’s tomb. Yes, our sin, and our sins, have been put away forever out of God’s sight (Lev.16:1-34; Heb.13:10-14) and we are free! Just as Jesus Christ was actually buried, so our old sin nature has been buried with Christ also.

“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom.6:4).

We are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not by a minister, but through the power of God.

Yes, this is true, and because it has really taken place, Paul says that we are to reckon it so, daily, in our service for Christ. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.6:11).Consequently, and therefore, we can also say with the Apostle Paul:

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal.2:20).

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October 14, 2008

"DISCIPLES AND APOSTLES"
by Cornelius R. Stam

"And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles" (Luke 6:13).

Many people fail to distinguish between our Lord's disciples and His apostles. They suppose they are the same. This is incorrect, however, for our Lord had a multitude of disciples while He had only a few apostles. His apostles were chosen from among His disciples, as we learn from the above message from Luke's gospel.

A disciple is a follower; an apostle is a "sent one". A disciple is a learner; an apostle is a teacher. There is a great lesson here for us all to learn.

We must come before we can go. We must follow before we can be sent. We must learn before we can teach. We must listen to the Lord before we can speak for the Lord.

"Thus saith the Lord", was the familiar phrase with which the Old Testament prophets began their messages. But at the head of the long list of Old Testament prophets we find Samuel, a young lad, saying: "SPEAK LORD, FOR THY SERVANT HEARETH" (I Sam.3:9).

Before we can do or say anything for God, then, we must listen to God. This explains why the reading and study of the Word of God is so important.

First, salvation itself comes by hearing and believing God's Word, especially about Christ, and His death for our sins. Romans 10:17 says: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God", and I Peter 1:23: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever". Then, having been saved, we can serve God acceptably only by diligent study of His Word. Perhaps the most important passage in the Bible on this subject is II Timothy 2:15:

"STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH."

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October 18, 2008

ST. PAUL AND THE RESURRECTION
by Cornelius R. Stam

The Apostle Paul, in discussing the resurrection of the dead, came to the simple and valid conclusion: "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen" (1 Cor. 15:13).

But the Apostle does not stop here. Hear him as he presses a further argument home: "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (Ver. 14). And this leads to yet another conclusion: "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (Vers. 17,18 ).

These are frank words about stern realities. If there is no such thing as the bodily resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised from the dead, and if such is the case we have no living Savior.

But granting all this, can we believe in what is palpably impossible? Ah, but is resurrection palpably impossible? Paul answers this question quite simply in this same discussion, in I Corinthians 15:

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" (Ver. 35).

Mark well, this is not an interested inquiry, but a challenge, meant to prove that resurrection is impossible, and the Apostle answers it as such:

"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die" (Ver. 36).

What a devastating reply! We may point out all the reasons why resurrection is "impossible," but after all is said and done we are still surrounded by overwhelming evidence that it is a fact. Every blade of grass, every ear of corn, every beautiful flower bears witness to the fact of resurrection from the dead.

Yes, Christ is alive from the dead, and "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him..." (Heb. 7:25).

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October 19, 2008

THE DEATH OF THE CROSS
by Cornelius R. Stam

There are four words which every one of us should consider in connection with Christ's death at Calvary if we would fully appreciate what our Savior did for us there.

CRUCIFIXION

It is doubtful whether man has ever conceived a more cruel and humiliating way to execute even the vilest criminals. The physical agony alone must have been horrible beyond comprehension. The criminal was nailed to a tree and left to hang there, writhing in the most intense pain until, fevers wracking his body, he died. And then think of the humiliation as he hung there, stripped and naked, to suffer shame and disgrace before the public gaze. Little wonder Phil. 2:8 says that Christ humbled Himself to become obedient "unto death, even the death of the cross."

SUBSTITUTION

We have not even begun to understand the cross if we do not understand that Christ died there as our Substitute, paying for our sins.

"Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). "His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24).

REPRESENTATION

But Christ was more than our Substitute; He was our voluntary Representative at Calvary. He had taken on Himself human form that He might represent man before God and die as Man for men.

"As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many..." (Heb. 9:27, 28 ).

"He was made... lower than the angels... that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9).

IDENTIFICATION

It follows from this that if Christ represented me at Calvary, He became identified with me there, and I am identified with Him as I accept this by faith. Hence Paul exclaims:

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

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October 20, 2008

ONE THING
by Cornelius R. Stam

Referring to the great Temple of God, which King David so earnestly hoped to build, he said:

"ONE THING HAVE I DESIRED of the Lord; that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple" (Psa.27:4).

Similarly, when Martha of Bethany complained to Jesus that Mary "sat at [His] feet and heard His Word" while she was left to serve alone, the Lord answered:

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but ONE THING IS NEEDFUL, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10: 41,42).

Today, with regard to the message of grace from the ascended, glorified Lord, the Apostle Paul exhorts us: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col.3:16). Wonderful results follow such a determination to know Christ through the Word.

When the Lord Jesus opened the eyes of the blind beggar, the poor man was immediately persecuted by the religious leaders of the day. He could not answer all of their questions but he could answer the one most important to himself:

"ONE THING I KNOW, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).

The rest of the narrative relates how the blind beggar also received spiritual sight as, face to face with the Son of God, he exclaimed: "Lord, I believe! ...and...worshipped Him" (Ver.38 ).

But what about our conduct after spiritual sight has been bestowed? The most consecrated believer will acknowledge that he often fails to live up to the light he has received. St. Paul, by inspiration, gives us the solution to this problem also, saying:

"THIS ONE THING I DO: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press [strain] toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3: 13,14).

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October 21, 2008

DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO STORIES
by Cornelius R. Stam

"Neither give heed to fables..." (1 Tim. 1:4)

As the present-day English reader comes upon the word "fables" in the Authorized Version, he is apt to think of Aesop's Fables, but these were illustrations, while the original word muthois means simply stories, including stories of imagined incidents or events.

There are two types of stories that have exerted an amazing influence upon twentieth century Christendom. One is the novel, the other the promotional story. In considering the above passage, this writer examined the contents of the popular Christian periodicals coming to his desk and was astonished to find how many of them were largely filled with fiction and with stories written to promote projects or viewpoints. The Apostle says about such stories that they raise questions but do not answer them, for stories really prove nothing. This is also true of many Christian films.

Many Christian novels have indeed exerted a savory influence upon their readers -- when they have been founded upon Scriptural truths and principles. Obviously, however, an author can make his novel "prove" exactly what he wishes to prove, for the novel involves us in a world of make-believe. Thus a novel can be dangerous to Christian faith and practice.

The promotional story holds, perhaps, an even more prominent place in our popular Christian magazines. No one can object to factual reports of what God has wrought, but too many of these stories are nothing more than promotional efforts. Many of these "success stories" are so successful that thoughtful readers question their validity and are apt to lay them aside without even finishing them. Less discerning readers, however, are often deeply moved by them.

We are well aware that our objections are not popular, but we are not trying to be popular; we are trying to help sincere Christians find their way back, step by step, to renewed spiritual power. This power has been too long frittered away by substituting the will of man for the Word of God.

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